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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. root — of a word
  3. mug — a face
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. band — a music group
  7. band — a ring
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. spell — a short time
  10. spell — magic
  11. chair — a leader
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. stem — to come from
  14. mug — to rob
  15. spell — letters
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. squash — to crush
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. mug — a cup
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. root — of a plant
  22. root — the cause
  23. squash — the sport
  24. bat — the animal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com